


Basket or the Blade

by Bix



Category: Guardians of Childhood - William Joyce, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal (Kind of), Angst, Gen, So much angst, there's probably a silver lining here eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-25
Updated: 2013-03-25
Packaged: 2017-12-06 11:13:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/735025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bix/pseuds/Bix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU: Seraphina comes to visit her father on the prison planet. Things go about as horribly wrong as expected to, and Kozmotis is left to 'handle' the Nightmare Queen.</p>
<p>What happens when he can't bring himself to do it properly?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Basket or the Blade

**Author's Note:**

> So the prompt on rotg_kink bit me and then grew _wildly_ out of proportion.
> 
> Self-Beta'd but that may change sooner rather than later.

Kozmotis let out a long breath, fingers clutching around the locket that dangled from his neck as he forcibly blocked out the hiss of the fearlings coming from behind him. Another few weeks and his second in command would be there to relieve him from his station staring at the rusting metal of the prison planet.

Another few weeks and he would be on his way to warmth and light and his Seraphina. He popped open the locket, a small smile breeching the weariness as he gazed on her face. He shifted immediately when the hissing fell silent, every nerve on alert.

Someone was here, watching.

"Daddy?"

Horror rose in his throat as he stood, stepping from the guard station and on to the dull floor. The voice had been tiny, distant and echoing. 

"Daddy? Where are you?"

There were footsteps now, coming towards him. 

_No._ She couldn't be here. _Shouldn't_ be here.

The only logical conclusion was that it was a trick of the fearlings, trying to use his daughter against him. Except… the voice was coming from _his_ side of the door.

"Sera?" He asked hoarsely, voice cracking with disuse as a young woman came around the corner. She was older than he remembered, but then… he'd long since lost track of the time he'd been here. This far from civilization time didn't really matter, and the magic woven in to the prison made it pass even slower while the rest of the cosmos went on. It had been meant to help the guard handle longer stints of duty, the idea of one of the Pooka who'd helped build the place after the final battle.

Kozmotis let out a slightly pained sound as his daughter's forehead connected rather forcibly with his chest and her arms twisted around him. It was like someone had restarted a blaze he hadn't known had faded within him, easing an ache he hadn't recognized in his chest as she babbled something about taking a ship and coming to see him.

Not a fearling trick.

"You should have stayed home." He sighed, hands wrapping around her shoulders to pull her away despite everything screaming in him to hold her tight. "Not that I am not happy to see you but this is no place for you to be. Fearlings are dangerous, even when locked behind doors."

"I know, I'm not _six_ anymore and I was worried about you." She protested, scowling up at him. "They were going to delay sending someone to relieve you by another ten _years_."

Kozmotis blinked at that, brows furrowing. Had they really thought the job that easy? 

"Stay here, I am going to send a message to the nearest station. They will send someone so I can bring you home and we can sort this out." He said, brushing a stray hair from her face before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

It would only take a few moments for him to go hail the station and pass on the message, a few hours after that and there would be someone to stand guard. Then they would be on the ship Seraphina took and headed back.

At least that had been the plan, but after sending the message _everything_ went wrong.

He heard a creak of rusted hinges, a scream… and whirled in time to see the tide of fearlings for an instant before everything went black.

**Author's Note:**

> And with that lovely cliffhanger we shall continue on to chapter two at a later date in time.


End file.
